


The Other Side Of The Glass

by NaughtyBees



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Drabble, Fluff, M/M, Merman Roadhog, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-10
Updated: 2017-04-10
Packaged: 2018-10-17 08:19:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10590090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaughtyBees/pseuds/NaughtyBees
Summary: Jamison is a cleaner in his local aquarium. His best friend is the only merman in captivity. Today he meets him face to face.





	

Blue lines of light danced over the wall as the sun filtered through the water. The entirety of the aquarium had been cleaned from top to bottom, every inch vacuumed and every tank polished. Jamie had finished in record time, barely even noticing how much he struggled with his prosthetics and the vacuum cord. He sat beside the thick glass, a cloth in one hand and spray bottle in the other, staring into the cloudy blue of the tank. There was nothing much to see during the day. A white plaque on the wall said the contents of the tank was ‘syreni nereides’. Mermaid.

Jamie remembered scoffing at that the first time. The world's only captive mermaid. As if! Nobody saw it during the day, it didn't come to the surface or the glass even when the feeders came. There was no sign of it. However, Jamie was cleaning the glass when he saw it first. It terrified him, sharp teeth and steely eyes, claws and webbed hands pressed against the glass, silver hair floating in the water. He hadn't expected to see it again. The next night, it came right away, floating beside the glass as he cleaned it. 

Prosthetic fingers tapped twice on the glass. A few moments later, the huge merman drifted past. Jamie had seen kids punch the tank to try get his attention but the tiniest tap and the fish came to look at him. It waved its pinkish-grey tail, swimming in a little circle, showing off the amazing muscles rippling under his smooth looking placoid scales. Jamie smiled and took out his phone, noticing how the merman came close to the glass, bulbous nose pressing against it, flattening. He brought up YouTube. He'd noticed that the merman liked animal videos more than anything else, especially cute animal videos. Of those, the ones with piglets made him grin with those shark teeth, tail tip flicking from side to side. He left it propped against the glass on autoplay and began to wipe the surface clean, getting off all the sticky stains left by hoards of children. 

Every time his hand was placed on the glass, the merman would mirror him, the massive palm dwarfing Jamie’s. His fingertip was the size of his splayed out hand, each claw longer than his middle finger and Jamie had long fingers. It made him wonder what would happen if he fell in the tank. Would those claws rip him to ribbons? He imagined being torn into by those teeth and shuddered a little. The merman seemed to take notice and stopped watching his videos, letting himself float up to eye level. With a smile, Jamie wiped the glass clean then pressed his lips to the cool surface, giving the fish a kiss. It moved quickly, one tail movement sending it away. 

Jamie watched, confused as the dark shape moved around the murky waters, drifting from side to side. He finished up his job as he waited, making sure to give it an extra polish just for his friend. All done, he sat, back against the alcove wall, bag on his lap. He was about to get out his lunch when the fish came back, carrying something close to its chest. Curious, Jamie moved to look. Cradled between its webbed hands was a small hoard of treasure. It was a loose term, describing mostly bits of metal, small change, some plastic hair grips and ribbons. Amongst them, however, was a gold necklace and a few rings, one of them looking extremely expensive. Jamie looked at it with a smile, amazed at the little collection of items. 

“That's quite a haul, mate! I hope you like all of that stuff!” Jamie called through the glass, seeing the sharky grin return. The treasure was dropped and something lay on the wide palm, glinting in the evening sun. The key to the enclosure door. He held it up between two claws, waiting for Jamie's reaction. “...Eh… I don't know… I really need this job. I mean, if you don't bite me and you don't try and escape and end up dead… then maybe…” The merman nodded, pointing upwards. There was a little bit further along where you could look in at the creatures in the open air. Jamie saw the merman move, then heard a wet clink on the concrete outside. 

The key was damp and Jamie held it so tight the water dribbled onto his shirt. He practically ran, footsteps echoing as he thundered through the shark tunnel, rounding a corner and nearly smacking into the turtle tank. He giggled maniacally and bumped into the door that led outside, his shaky hands fumbling with the key. The room inside was food storage and preparation. There was a bucket of dead fish that he grabbed on his way past, limping his way to the door, pushing it open.   
The warm evening air made him smile as he walked out onto the platform that was only a few inches above the surface of the gently rippling water. He paused a couple of feet from the edge, unsure of what to expect. He didn't want to end up as an unsatisfying, stringy snack. After a couple of moments, a large hand dropped the treasures onto the platform, another appearing beside it. Between them was the same face Jamie had seen every night for the last few months. Curious eyes blinked at him, seemingly timid as it slowly moved upwards in the water, silver hair stuck to its head. 

“Don't you have something to put your hair up with, big guy?” Jamie asked, walking close and sitting down. He smiled, pointing at the treasure. “Is that for me?” When he received a nod, he looked at the things, pulling a soggy hair tie out, smiling as he stretched it. “Do you have a name? You know I'm Jamie, I told you before.”

The merman pondered this for a moment before moving those thick lips around his sharp teeth, uttering a deep sounding word. “Mako.” He dug his claws into the wooden platform, lifting himself up a little more. “What's that?”

Jamie smiled and showed it to Mako. “Let me show you. Here, come sit beside me. Wait, can you? You won't die or anything, will you?”  
Mako grunted, lifting himself out of the water with ease, sitting on the edge of the platform. Jamie moved to put the hair tie in his wet, dripping locks, drawing back when his lip curled into a snarl. “Hey, none of that now! I won't hurt you, you can trust me.” He smiled reassuringly. Once Mako stopped snarling, he slowly reached back up, collecting his hair in one place, slipping the hair tie onto it. He tightened it up then smiled, letting go. “There you go! It makes your hair stay on top of your head! Not that I don't love it down because I absolutely do!” He smiled, sitting beside him. He slipped off his boot, revealing his foot with only three toes. He was about to put it in the water when Mako grabbed his ankle, looking at it intently. “What? Oh, right! Bet you ain't seen feet before! I only got the one though.”

Mako let Jamie put his foot in the water and picked up his prosthetic, looking at it as he held it in his huge hand. “Why? What happened?”

Jamie detached his leg, showing his stump to Mako, those large hands holding the prosthetic as though it were made of solid gold. “My dad was one of them apocalypse nuts. He was convinced that we would all die or end up surviving without society. He taught me how to make weapons and bombs and I made one wrong and BOOM!” He waved his stump around at Mako. “Got put in an orphanage after that. That's where kids without parents go. And that's where I stayed. Until I turned 18. Got a few jobs here and there but I managed to snag this one!” He grinned, noticing how Mako hadn't stopped his rambling. He didn't even look that bothered that he'd hit him with so much information. “Were you… uh… born in captivity?”

Mako seemed to contemplate this, a cold, wet hand resting on Jamie's stump. “No. Caught. Trying to cut a dolphin from a fishing net and I got snagged.” He shrugged, thick brows almost completely obscuring his eyes. His gills twitched slightly and he flicked his tail, sending water splashing at himself, drenching the pair of them. The human didn't mind at all.

Jamie patted his shoulder, leaning against him. “I'm sorry. I don't really know what it's like to be homesick. Never had a home long enough to form an attachment.” He shrugged and leant back. “Here's something that could cheer you up though!” He pulled close the bucket of fish, setting it beside Mako. “Fishies for the fishie!”

Mako looked into the bucket with a wrinkled nose. “I hate dead fish… I want to catch my own food but no, I have to eat this trash.” Regardless, he picked up the bucket, eating fish from his claws. 

Jamie frowned a little. “Well, how about I bring some live fish next time I come? Then you can chase them around your tank!” He smiled sweetly and leant against Mako, a hand moving to touch his scales. Another flick of his tail and they were both drenched again, Jamie a little shocked by that. “Jeez, do you have to do that?”

Mako looked sideways at him before putting his hand behind him and shoving him into the water, causing him to yelp, sinking like a stone. He tried to swim upwards, finding it hard with one leg and a heavy prosthetic. A large, cold hand cupped his waist and he found himself gliding to the surface, Mako bringing him up for air. He gasped as he broke the surface, coughing a little as he caught his breath. With a lungful of air, he sank again, looking at Mako who seemed a lot more comfortable underwater. He looked at him with puffed out cheeks, bubbles streaming up from his nose. The huge merman held him close, looking at him curiously. He smiled, pulling him closer to press him against his wide belly. Jamie needed to breathe, his chest aching a little. But those thick lips drew nearer, pressing gently into his thin ones, slimy and cold against his skin. Jamie was a little surprised but he smiled into the kiss, wrapping his skinny arms around Mako’s chunky neck. He broke kiss when he felt his head break the surface of the water, gasping. He was pushed towards the platform as Mako splashed and dived under the water, only a few bubbles remaining on the surface. Jamie lifted himself out of the water, sitting on the platform, fingers pressing against his lips. He smiled and giggled, picking up the soggy treasure and putting it in his pocket. Gathering everything up, he limped back out of the tank, knowing his job was about to become a lot more enjoyable.


End file.
